This application corresponds to French application 98 02061 of Feb. 20, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an automotive vehicle with a telescopic load carrying arm, of the type comprising a rigid chassis carried by two front and rear bridges provided with wheels and a driver""s cab mounted on said rigid chassis.
The document FR 2 103 955 discloses a motor vehicle, for agricultural use, for traction, pushing and carrying tools and apparatus. This vehicle is provided with two drive axles disposed resiliently on a chassis and having tractive wheels of equal size, whose drive is ensured by an internal combustion engine with several cylinders by means of a torque converter, and provided with a power delivery device. The internal combustion motor extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
Because the driver""s cab of this vehicle is located partially in the region of vertical extension of the front wheels, this vehicle for agricultural use cannot receive telescopic load carrying arms in front of this cab.
There are also known handling machines for agricultural use produced and sold by the French company MANITOU BF. These engines of agricultural use comprise an articulated chassis carried by two front and rear bridges provided with wheels and a driver""s cab mounted on said articulated chassis. The articulation support of the telescopic load carrying arm is disposed in front of the cab and substantially toward the middle of the distance between the front and rear axles. Because the internal combustion motor is disposed behind the cab and forms a counterweight, it is not possible to use this handling machine to fulfill the functions of an agricultural tractor.
The invention has for its object to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, by providing a new automotive vehicle with a telescopic load carrying arm, which can be used both as a handling carriage with a telescopic arm and as an agricultural tractor, thanks to a modular construction permitting rapid modification of the rear equipment itself to a tractor whilst giving good accessibility to the motor propulsion group.
The invention has for its object a vehicle with a telescopic load carrying arm of the type comprising a rigid chassis carried by two front and rear axles provided with wheels and a driver""s cab mounted on said rigid chassis, in which the articulation support of the telescopic load carrying arm is disposed in front of the cab and substantially toward the middle of the distance between the front axle and the rear axle, characterized in that the chassis carries externally and laterally, between one front wheel and one rear wheel, on one side a compartment containing an internal combustion engine, and on the other a compartment containing at least one reservoir of onboard fluid; and in that the chassis has, on the side opposite the telescopic arm, securement means adapted to receive at least one rear equipment.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
said motor is oriented transversely and connected to an angle change of which one outlet drives a gearbox oriented longitudinally and disposed substantially in a central position, below the support of the telescopic load carrying arm,
the motor is connected to the gearbox by a connecting shaft, particularly by means of a grooved shaft coacting with a grooved sleeve,
preferably, at least one rear equipment is selected from the group comprising: a towing unit, a hydraulic lifting assembly, a power outlet connected by a cardan shaft to said gearbox,
the vehicle comprises a coupling means, particularly a towing hook,
the vehicle comprises a rear lifting means, particularly a three point lifter,
the vehicle comprises a power unit with mechanical drive, connected to and driven by said gearbox,
the vehicle comprises at least one hydraulic pump driven by a shaft passing through the gearbox and continuously driven upon starting the motor,
the power output block with mechanical drive comprises a clutch and a speed reduction box,
the driver""s cab contains a reversible control station.